Different luster/pearl papers help with the pop effect. If you're looking for a cool effect pop out paper, I would try out the metallic papers available.

We carry the different luster brands as well as samples and the metallics if you're interested to see how they look.Epson LusterIlford Gallerie Prestige Smooth PearlSimply Elegant Metallic Pearlescent (or Chrome Gloss)

I have tried a few papers - Also have tried PS, imagePrint 9 demo and MirageI have done 'soft proofing' in PS for each occasion of printing with selected profiles including imageprint...Images look nice - but not getting that pop I am looking for...I am wondering what papers folks with printing experience would be reaching for... (noob)The photo was taken with d800e zeiss 135 APO / off camera flash and reflector and pn-11 tube - added adjustment layer for clarity adjustment in filament areaPhil

So what papers have you tried and on what printer and inks?

Also, the image you have posted is in ProPhotoRGB, unfortunately, many browsers will not display it correctly.

pete, when you say 'improves greatly with levels brought in a bit at both ends' - what do you mean exactly - how/ what are you doing for this?

i have been mostly using an adjustment layer 'curves' for the soft proofing....

perhaps i am doing this all wrong?

many thanks

Phil

I gave up long ago on soft proofing, and have adusted my monitor to closely match my printed output - hard-proofing - but it sounds to me as if your soft proofed image is more vibrant than your print, which suggests that monitor contrast and/or sat. are still too high if prints don't match well.

I'm certainly not a power PS'er, but when I want a vibrant image, one of the first things I do in PS6 is to adjust the black and white input levels in the Image>Adjustments>Levels panel, or Ctrl-L. The old truism that "blacks make the image" applies just as well to color as to B/W, and that bring the black input level to the histogram clipping point, or often in my work slightly inside it, and the white input level to the clipping point or just a bit outside it will greatly or slightly increase image "pop" by giving a full tonal range, which is muted otherwise. Of course there are other ways to a similar result...

I gave up long ago on soft proofing, and have adusted my monitor to closely match my printed output - hard-proofing - but it sounds to me as if your soft proofed image is more vibrant than your print, which suggests that monitor contrast and/or sat. are still too high if prints don't match well.

I'm certainly not a power PS'er, but when I want a vibrant image, one of the first things I do in PS6 is to adjust the black and white input levels in the Image>Adjustments>Levels panel, or Ctrl-L. The old truism that "blacks make the image" applies just as well to color as to B/W, and that bring the black input level to the histogram clipping point, or often in my work slightly inside it, and the white input level to the clipping point or just a bit outside it will greatly or slightly increase image "pop" by giving a full tonal range, which is muted otherwise. Of course there are other ways to a similar result...

Pete

Pete - many thanks - i too am beginng to wonder about this 'soft proofing'...

in my quest for help - i started a new thread in the color management forum

Well softproofing the ProPhotoRGB image in Photoshop using Hahnemühle Fine Art Pearl profile for the 4900 shows most of the image to be out of gamut, so I would expect the print to be more muted than the screen image. You need to shift that red into gamut if you want to control the output.

Have you tried both perceptual and relative colorimetric? With an image like this, without manually dealing with the out of gamut colors, perceptual will more often result in a better print.

Well softproofing the ProPhotoRGB image in Photoshop using Hahnemühle Fine Art Pearl profile for the 4900 shows most of the image to be out of gamut, so I would expect the print to be more muted than the screen image. You need to shift that red into gamut if you want to control the output.

Have you tried both perceptual and relative colorimetric? With an image like this, without manually dealing with the out of gamut colors, perceptual will more often result in a better print.

Brian A

Hi Brian - indeed i have tried both perceptual and relative colorimetric - i will have another run thru in actual prints today - i know i have flipped between the two countless times on the monitor...